Safety device for elevators.



J. Jw JONES.

SAFETY DEVIOE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1910.

Patented Jan. 21, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1,

WITNESSES Q/ m N u J. J. JONES.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1910. 1,050,949.

Patented Jan. 21, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES I? TOR I W Am- UNITED 3TATEL$ PATENT @FFTQE.

JOSHUA J. JONES, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

Application filed. May 5, 1910.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSHUA J. JoNEs, acitizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Safety Devices for Elevators, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to elevators and the principal object of theinvention is to provide an improved safety device for antomaticallystopping or checking the speed of an elevator car whenever the operatorloses control of the car, and the car starts to run away.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of anelevator car showing my improvement applied thereto; Fig. 2 a sideelevation on an enlarged scale of one of the improved safety devicesshown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a front elevation thereof; Fig. 4 a detail ofconstruction employed in connection with the safety device; Fig. 5 acentral sectional view of the automatic operating means for said safetydevice; and F ig. 6 a side elevation thereof.

According to the referred form of my invention a suitable a1r compressoror pump 1 is secured to the under side of the elevator car 2, preferablyone on each side adjacent to the elevator guides 3. "As shown moreclearly in Fig. 3 the compressor may be of the ordinary standard typecomprising a piston 4 connected to a crank shaft by connecting rod 6. Onone end of the crank shaft 5 is secured a gear 7 adapted to mesh with apinion 8 carried on one end of a supporting arm 9, the parts being solocated that the pinion 8 is adapted to swing into and out of mesh witha rack 10 secured to the usual guide rail 3.

The crank shaft 5 is supported in journals l2 and on the shaftintermediate the gear 7 and one of said journals the supporting arm 9 ismounted. On the under side of the ear, rearwardly of the compressor 1 issecured a spring cage 13 containing a heavy coil spring 16 adapted toact on a rod 14 having a forked end for engagement with a projecting endof the pinion shaft 15, as shown in detail in Fig. 4. The spring 16tends to pull up on the rod 14 and thereby eflect the rotation of thearm 9 so as to bring the pinion 8 into mesh with the rack 10.

The arm 9 is provided with an operating Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented J an. 21, 1313.

Serial No. 559,559.

lever 17, the outer end of which is connected by means of a smallflexible cable 18 passing over guide pulleys l9 and 20 respectively, toa point on the main supporting cables 21 of the elevator car. This cable18 may be connected directly to the car cables, but preferably acarrying device is provided such as shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6 andcomprising an outer casin 22 adapted to be firmly fastened to the carcables 21, an inner casing 23, and a coil spring 24 interposed betweenthe two casings and tending to push the casing 23 out of the casing 22.The safety cable 18 passes over a pin 25 carried by the casin 23 andnormally the casing 23 is held in position within the casing 22 againstthe tension of the spring 24 by means of a trip arm 26, one end of whichis adapted to project out under the base of the casing 23 and the otherend of which is normally in engage ment with a pin 27 mounted on apivoted lever 28, so that when the trip arm 26 engages the pin 27, thecasing 23 is held within the casing 22. The lever 28 projects out to theside of the car and is adapted to engage an obstruction 29 on a cable30.

The compressors 1 are each provided with the usual inlet valve 31 andoutlet valve 32 and the outlet passage 33 of each is connected to acommon pipe 34 which may be extended up through the floor of the car andpreferably is provided with a valve or cook 35 adapted to open or closecommunication through the pipe 34 or to vary the size of the outlettherethrough.

The cable 18 is normally pulled up so as to compress the spring andmaintain the pinion out of engagement with the rack 10 as shown in Fig.2, and during the ordinary running of the car the compressors remaininactive. Should the cables 21 break, the cable 18 is slackened and thespring 16 thereupon exerts its force to shift the pinion 8 intoengagement with the rack 10.

The compressor piston 4 is thereupon set into motion and the compressionof fluid takes place in proportion to the speed at which the car isdescending. If it is desired that the car be brought to a complete stop,the outlet pipe 34 is maintained closed, but often the car will bestopped at a point intermediate two floors and in order to permit acertain control of the movement of the car, the cock 35 may bemanipulated to allow more or less exhaust of air from the outlet pipe34. It will be evident that by adjusting the cock to vary the outletopening the car may be controlled as desired.

In addition to the automatic control of the car in case of the cablesbreaking, means are provided for setting the compressors into actionwhen the speed ofthe car exceeds a certain desired degree. According tothis means I make use of a governor arrangement heretofore employed inconnection with elevators in which a cable running over sheaves at thetop and bottom of the elevator shaft is adapted to operate a centrifugalgovernor, the governor being adapted upon the speed of the cableexceeding the desired degreeto stop the movement of the cable. The cable30 shown in Fig. 1 is such a cable and it will be seen that in case thespeed of the car exceeds a certain degree the cable is stopped and theobstruction 29 thereon then operates the lever 28 to trip the arm 26 andthereby permit the casing 23 to drop. The cable 18 is thus released andthe compressor gears are thrown into action.

One compressor has its crank preferably set opposite to the other, sothat there will always be one of the compressors pumping air at a time.

Having now described my inyention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a safety device for elevators, the combination witlran elevatorcar, of a fluid compressor adapted to be operated by the momentum of thecar and normally having its moving parts at rest, means for cutting thecompressor into action, and a flexible connection operatively connectedto the car operating cable for controlling said means.

2. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with an elevatorcar, of a fluid compressor carried by the car and adapted to be operatedby the momentum thereof, a movable gear device permanently connected tosaid compressor, a rack located adjacent the car, a spring tending tothrow said gear device into engagement with the rack, and a flexibleconnection attached to the car operating cable for normally maintainingsaid ear device out of en a ement with the gear device out of engagementwith the rack.

3. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with an elevatorcar and an operating cable therefor, of 'a fluid compressor carried bythe car and adapted to be operated by the momentum thereof, a movabletrain of gears in permanent operative connection with the compressor, arack mounted adjacent the elevator car, a spring tending to throw saidgears into operative engagement with the rack, a lever for oper-. atingsaid gears, and a flexible cable con nected to said lever and to the caroperating cable and adapted to normally maintain the gears out ofengagement with the rack against the tension of said spring.

4:. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with an elevatorcar, of a fluid compressor adapted to be operated by the momentum of thecar, a rack, a gear nor-- mally maintained out of engagement with saidrack for operating said compressor and means governed by the speed ofthe car for effecting the engagement of the gear with the rack tothereby out said compressor into action.

5. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with an elevatorcar, of a fluid compressor adapted to be operated by the momentum of thecar, a transmission mechanism for imparting movement to the com--pressor, means normally maintaining said mechanism inactive, and adevice operated upon excessive speed of the car for causing thetransmission mechanism to operate, thereby operating said compressor.

6. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with an elevatorcar, of a fluid compressor adapted to be operated by the momentum of thecar, mechanism for transmitting motion to said compressor, a memher forthrowing said mechanism into and out of action, a trip device normallymaintaining said member in position with said mechanism out of action,and means governed by the speed of the car for controlling said member.

7. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with an elevatorcar, of a trip device comprising two members, an intermediate spring,and a trip lock device,normally holding said members together againstthe tension of the spring, a fluid compressor adapted to be set inmotion by one of said members for effecting the retardation of the car,and means governed by the speed of the car for controlling said triplock device.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOSHUA J. JONES.

WVitnesses:

WM. M. CADY, A. M. CLEMENTS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

